By Mel Taylor
Here we go again.
Another battle on whether a popular conservative speaker should be allowed into our country.
Having been denied entry to Australia, conservative speaker Candace Owens has NZ groups and organisations petitioning to either have her visa approved or declined.
Young Labour are out to petition that Candace Owens be refused entry into New Zealand.
They have likened Candace Owens to Lauren Southern and Posie Parker.
The petition reads as follows:
Young Labour is calling on the New Zealand Government to take immediate action to ban Candace Owens from entering Aotearoa New Zealand. Owens intends to visit Aotearoa as part of a speaking tour in November 2024.Aotearoa is a nation built on values of love, kindness, and respect. We take pride in our multicultural identity, honouring Te Tiriti o Waitangi and embracing people from all backgrounds. This commitment to inclusion is what defines us as a society, yet it also makes us a target for those who seek to undermine our unity.Candace Owens represents a divisive force that threatens these principles. Her public statements, which include Holocaust denial and inflammatory remarks referring to the LGBTQ+ community as a “sexual plague,” align her with other controversial figures like Lauren Southern and Posie Parker. Notably, Owens was cited by the March 15 terrorist as a key influence in his manifesto, underscoring the potential dangers of her rhetoric. Previous visits by such individuals have resulted in increased tensions, the spread of hate speech, and a climate of fear among minority communities in Aotearoa.We strongly urge the Coalition Government to take immediate action to prevent Candace Owens from entering our country, sending a clear message that Aotearoa will not be a platform for hate.
Meanwhile, Free Speech Union released the following on Tuesday:
Free Speech Union urges Immigration NZ not to follow Australia’s bad example and instead allow Candace Owens to visit NZ
The decision by Australian immigration to deny Candace Owens entry into their country is a foolish choice that will only draw more attention to Owens’ claims and personality. The Free Speech Union urges Immigration New Zealand not to commit the same blunder and to allow her to speak in New Zealand, says Dane Giraud, Council Member of the Free Speech Union.
“American political commentator Candace Owens is set to visit New Zealand next month. There are pressures to deny her entry to New Zealand over her views on the Holocaust. Provocative or unpopular opinions are not a reason to deny someone’s entry into a country.
“We urge the Minister of Immigration to uphold not just the speech rights of Candace Owens, but more importantly the right for all Kiwis to choose who they listen to.
“We’re far better off when all ideas are out in the open. Bad ideas are beaten by good ideas, and good ideas can only rise to the top in a robust and open debate. Listening to views that go against established opinions is simply an opportunity to make your own argument stronger. If you disagree with Owens, her tour is an opportunity for this.
“Equally, if New Zealanders don’t want to engage with Owens, they don’t need to attend her events.
“Those pushing for Owens’ visa to be denied should stop to recognise that censorship doesn’t get us anywhere. Take Australia’s decision as an example: denying Owens’ entry has simply created more interest in Owens and her views than there otherwise would have been.
“Censorship in the name of minority groups risks fostering more resentment towards our groups. We are safer challenging bad ideas.
“It is the essence of democracy that Kiwis have the right to choose which voices they listen to, and to form their own opinions. This doesn’t stop being true simply when the opinions are controversial.”
